Morais' appointment came just two months after Barnsley were taken over by a consortium including a Chinese billionaire and Oakland Athletics minority owner Billy Beane, who helped pioneer the 'moneyball' approach to baseball.

"Today is a sad day, we will discuss later what has gone wrong during the season," chief executive Gauthier Ganaye told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"When you are the head of the organisation you have to take the responsibility, and today I take my part of the responsibility in what's happening.

"My responsibility now is to make sure that we're going to roll up our sleeves, work hard and come back stronger next season."